Robert Colville

Robert Hale, London, 1951, first edition.. 268 pp, 8vo (8 9/16" H), hard cover in dust jacket. B&W plates, fold-out map at rear.

"The area which is the subject of this book is one of great variety and contrast. From Highgate Woods and Hampstead Heath the land slopes away to busy and congested Camden Town; in Somers Town vast building schemes are carried out beside quiet old squares; historic houses stand near to new and prosperous residential quarters. There is an astonishing variety of institutions, from the Zoo and Holloway and Pentonville prisons to University colleges and other places of learning and research, from the Caledonian Market to the ancient foundation of Queen Matilda. Over the whole scene hangs the atmosphere both of accomplished and pending change. The great railway companies, four of whose termini profoundly affect the life of parts of the area, are nationalised; the well-run private house, once the hall mark of the Northern Heights, is giving way to blocks of flats. Mr Colville describes this changing scene and its implications in an objective and impartial manner. Although the time is the present, the past is used to explain developments and tendencies, and a clear picture of an area in transition appears."

In good order. Tears and scuffing to top of dust jacket.… (altro)